Phoenix mayor skipped 9/11 event because 9/11 is too political. Too political for patriotism? Too political to do his job representing Phoenix?

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon decided to act more like a typical American and less like a politician on Sunday when he skipped a 9/11 memorial event, leaving a City Council member as a pinch hitter.

Gordon said he decided to ponder the ramifications of 9/11 on his own rather than giving yet another speech at the Never Forget 9/11 Memorial Walk and Celebration event.

9/11 has become too politicized, Gordon said, and didn’t think that one more or one less speech about 9/11 made by a politician would make much of difference.

“It didn’t feel right to me,” Gordon said.

For those who don’t know, Phil Gordon will be replaced by a new mayor following an election in November. Because of term limits, Gordon could not run again.

So how would the mayor’s attendance be political? The mayor could have represented Phoenix with absolutely no political agenda because he is not running for political office at the moment.

Even if Mayor Gordon feels better memorializing 9/11 in his own way, as the representative of the nation’s sixth largest city, it is his job to represent his city and his constituents. Gordon’s non-attendance reminds me of what I won’t be missing come his departure.